Daniel Kraus resurrects the mind of George A. Romero once again with Pay the Piper. He found the bones of this novel, with a lot of research and notes, while going through the University of Pittsburgh Library’s System’s George A. Romero Archival Collection. Unlike the previous postmortem collaboration, The Living Dead, this work didn’t center on zombies. That fact may explain why this find was such a surprise. Kraus rose to the challenge, though, and you can see the successful result when this book hits shelves on September 3rd from Union Square and Co.
I said this book isn’t about zombies, so what is it about? Answering that is going to take the rest of this review. On the surface, it’s about a small collection of shanties in Louisiana called Alligator’s Point. It’s about the people struggling to eke out a living from that swamp. And it’s about the mythical Piper coming to collect. That myth may not be just folklore—kids are going missing.
Pay the Piper gives us multiple points of view into the goings on of Alligator Point. There’s a young girl, who goes by Pontiac, that we follow closely. Her teacher, Miss Ward, is another. Then we have the local “sheriff” who doesn’t actually have that level of authority. And the local “doctor” who runs a mercantile instead of practicing medicine. Oh, and did I mention Pontiac’s dad? He’s one of the many drunks in the swamp. All those viewpoints don’t get muddled, though. They are each important, and necessary, for understanding everything this book is saying.
Really, nothing is unclear about this. Normally I get a little annoyed if I feel a book is too heavy handed with what it is saying. That didn’t happen here. And to get to the heart of why I think that is, we have to step away from Louisiana for a moment. I want to talk about Daniel Kraus and Whalefall. It’s going to be difficult to knock that book out of my top books of the year–it’s beautiful. It’s also a book that looks at whales, the ocean, nature, as something primal and beyond human understanding. It’s that heart that made Kraus a perfect candidate for finishing Romero’s story.
If Whalefall has you dive into the ocean, Pay the Piper has you sink into the swamp. It’s a slow build and a slow realization. There’s an adjustment period. And it sticks to you. This book is about so much more than an entity collecting payments in children. It’s about why that would be the case. It’s about accountability, responsibility, conviction. It’s about the harms people perpetuate against people, against the land they live on, the waters they rely on. This is a book with clear heroes and villains—until it isn’t.
This book also speaks to some very topical issues in the realms of reading. Where is the line between creator and creation? I’ve mentioned primal forces but I haven’t outright said that this book is cosmic horror. And in keeping with the themes mentioned above, Lovecraft himself is discussed. I loved seeing the conversation continue through different characters. I can’t offer quotes here, since the book is unpublished, but there are some wise words from Pontiac. You’ll recognize them when you read them.
I’m optimistically saying when, there, because I am highly recommending this book. Pay the Piper gave me chills. It took me a minute to connect but once I did, I was invested. And once I was invested I understood. When everything falls together you have to admit it’s an important book. It’s a heavy book, a difficult book, and a beautiful one. I can’t promise you’ll love it. But I can promise it will make you think. And I promise there’s at least one scene that will make you feel like you’re watching one of Romero’s creations on the screen. This is a horror book with the blood of a legend, after all.
Images courtesy of publisher.
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